The present invention relates to an opto-electronic device with an optical fiber jacket for guiding an optical fiber and for maintaining the optical fiber therein. More particularly, the opto-electronic device may be, for example, a semiconductor laser package or the like. In a conventional opto-electronic device, an end portion of an optical fiber cable formed of a core and cladding or coating material thereon has a portion of the coating material removed and inserted into an optical fiber jacket guide wherein the optical fiber is retained. That is, an optical fiber core and coating material are fixed within the jacket by epoxy resin or by adhesive after inserting a glass pipe into the jacket guide. The core of the optical fiber cable is formed of silica glass or the like and has a high refractive index.
In prior art constructions, the optical fiber core and the coating material which coating material is made of a resin such as nylon, polyester or the like are fixed in the jacket guide by an epoxy resin. The jacket guide is made of metal materials such as ferrous metal or copper and in view thereof, difficulties are encountered in achieving good adhesive characteristics due to the differences of the metal materials and the epoxy resin.
The inventors have determined that additionally, a delamination phenomenon is generated not at the bonded surface between the epoxy resin and the jacket guide, but rather at the bonded surface between the epoxy resin and the coating material where organic materials contact one another. As delamination of the bonded surface increases, the coating material moves toward the outside direction in that the coating material recedes from the inside of the package. Due to such receding, delamination easily generates at the end portion of the coating material also. Accordingly, the optical fiber core becomes uncovered and the package main body, especially the jacket guide, and the coating material are connected only by the optical fiber core. Therefore, the optical fiber core receives force directly such that breakage of the optical fiber core easily results.
The inventors have determined that such phenomenon is caused by a contraction force generated by strain remaining in the coating material which coats the optical fiber core. This contraction increases as a result of the opto-electronic package undergoing repeated cycles of high and low temperature changes such that even though breakage of the optical fiber does not occur, the optical fiber core contracts such that a material such as solder fixing the end of the core in relation to a light emitting element or the like is deformed to the extent that a positional or attitude difference occurs between the end point of the core and such light emitting element and, for example, a decrease in light output power occurs due to this positional or attitude difference.